If your kids are off this week for spring break, hope you're having a great time! A reminder for public-school parents: Spring break begins on Monday, April 18 (which is also the first night of Passover) and lasts through Tuesday, April 26.

Public preschool applications are currently online. All children turning four this year are eligible. The last day to apply is Friday, April 8.

In other school news, there's a comprehensive list of charters on the DOE's website, including 17 new ones scheduled to open in the Fall. InsideSchools reminds parents to submit their charter school applications by April 1.

Every day at Mommy Poppins we give you plenty of concrete reasons why it's great to raise a kid in the city. But over at Babble, blogger Erin Behan shares a fun list of the top ten reasons to have a baby in NYC. Some are concrete (1,700 parks and playgrounds, many of which we've written about); others are tongue-in-cheek (your baby shower won't be at a bad chain restaurant). Make sure you read the comments. There are some great additions in there.

Are NYC public-school students getting better food than their peers in the rest of the country? The New York Times posted a video that claims the city is leading the way in terms of healthy public-school lunches. The meals being prepared at Brooklyn's P.S. 56 look delicious, but I've been at my daughter's school at lunchtime, and while there is a salad bar (which she actually eats from!) the main dishes certainly don't look anything like that. That's why I often opt to brown bag it. We've got plenty of great and inexpensive lunch ideas on the site if you're thinking of doing that, too.

And the story every parent in town has been gossiping about since it broke last week: The Upper East Side mom who's suing her kid's swanky preschool because she insists it ruined her progeny's chances for academic greatness. Her seemingly frivolous suit and haughty attitude have inspired scorn and countless jokes, but a Daily News op-ed defends her position, and the guy (kind of) has a point. In short, don't we all do what we think is best for our kids, regardless of how crazy it (or we) sound? We can't wait to see how this story plays out!